Raven Moon (11 page)

“So don’t you care about your reputation?”

Rave scoffed. “Too late. My parents think I’m ruined anyway.”

“I’m sure there is a procession of raven gentlemen waiting in line to date you. I mean come on, you’re a drop dead gorgeous raven princess.”

Rave shrugged. “I’m just not into raven men. My former shrink called it species sexual confusion. Apparently, as a child I had a werewolf nanny and might have imprinted on her totem.”

“Dirk and I suffer from the same condition as does Talon who married Phoenix, a hawk shifter.”

“True. Hmm. Maybe I will someday find my own big bad wolf.”

Dora laughed. “If you want to borrow my Red Riding Hood cloak, let me know.”

Rave gave her a mischievous smile. “I’ll skip grandma’s house and take the shorter more dangerous route.”

Her thoughts turned to Cashel. He had found her on the bench after Dora returned to her rounds. She’d been daydreaming of a werewolf soul mate while catching new flakes of snow in her bare hands. “Princess, come inside before your hands freeze.”

Rave rolled her eyes. She had ditched Cashel after breakfast, by flying away from their cliff rookery. How had he found her? She stood and hid her icy hands in her pocket. “Chill. Don’t worry. I’m just hanging out with my friends.”

A slow smile built around his always-stern face. “Princess, it’s my task to worry about you.”

Get a life!
“Why?”

“My family imprinted on your royal family since prehistoric times, and caring for you is as natural to me as flying the thermals.”

Rather than retort with a snide remark, she’d been touched. Flying the thermals for a raven was the greatest joy.

Rave sagged in her seat and closed her eyes as guilt tore at her heart. Her foolish bravado to prove herself had cost her loyal servants their lives. “Oh, Cashel, forgive me,” she blubbered. “And Beccan, I just wanted you to find…” She sobbed in waves of despair.

Maddox opened the driver’s side door, interrupting her guilt-ridden grief. “Ravenna, you’re in pain.” He threw a plastic bag in the driver’s seat and brought an orthopedic pillow around to her door.

He gently adjusted the pillow to support her fractured arm as she barely contained her pitiful weeping. She whimpered and nodded. Nobody ever saw her cry, least of all her enemy.

Maddox sat behind the wheel and rummaged through a huge bag, then took out a box of tissues and handed her several. “Here.”

Rave stilled her quaking shoulders, suppressed her sorrow and grabbed the tissue. “Th-thanks.” Sniffling, she pressed the tissue to her nose and blew. She lowered her head and wiped her tears.

Maddox fidgeted with the bag and spilled the contents on his lap. His voice gentled as if soothing a child, not an evil foe. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find morphine.” His massive hands grabbed a handful of vials and spread them on his lap, then studied each one as he lined them up on the dashboard. “I did find all sorts of pain meds.”

Rave shuddered and sniffed. “What are you trying to do, give me an overdose?”

Maddox narrowed his eyes. “Trust me; breaking your pretty little neck is easier and cleaner than watching you vomit and foam at the mouth.” He sighed. “All the water was gone as well, but I got you a pop.” He opened a can of soda and it erupted like a geyser, spilling on his face and lap. “Bloody hell.” He opened the door, leapt out and at an arm’s distance held out the fizzling can as he hopped around, avoiding the fountain of fluid.

Her grief along with the sight of the most powerful alpha Benandanti Templar, growling and leaping around as if his pants were on fire while wiping wet soda from his clothes, undid her. She laughed hysterically, even while wincing from the shooting pain of her broken arm.

When the can finished spilling most of its contents, he glared at her and handed her the soda. His voice scolding, “Here. Drink, but first calm down so you don’t choke to death.”

Rave took the can and did her best to suppress her unleashed giggles but to no avail. “S…sorry, you should…” She laughed anew until tears of mirth covered her previous tears of mourning.
You should have seen yourself do the werewolf dance hop.

Maddox picked up some disposable wipes from the bag, mopped his face and returned to the driver seat. He clenched the steering wheel and stared ahead. “You appear to be in no more pain.”

Rave dabbed her eyes and finally calmed down enough to drink. The highly sweetened soda quenched her thirst and she swallowed half of it. “Ah, better.” She handed him back the remaining drink and tried to suppress a burp. Instead, she hiccupped and continued non-stop. Each hitch made her wince in pain. Great. Her makeup blotchy, a mangled arm and acting as if she was inebriated, she must be a complete turn-off. Not that the hot-looking religious freak was the kind of big bad wolf she should bring home to meet her parents. If any wolf was ever acceptable with her parents. Nonetheless, she was still humiliated at her less than luster looks.

The cad turned to her and smiled. He grabbed a vial and shook out a pill. “This should ease the pain and make you drowsy.”

Rave glared at him with a loud hiccup and took the pill. Between maddening hiccups, she swallowed it. He handed her the remainder of the soda to wash it down. She almost choked and after a relentless hiccup, she spewed it out. Her eyes watered as she grabbed a tissue to dry off.

His voice hitched in amused revenge. “I’ve never met anyone under the influence of pop.”

Rave hiccupped. “Soda, not pop.”

“Right.”

She scrunched her nose. “You smell like lemon lime cologne.”

Maddox turned the ignition. “Looks like your hysteria drew an audience.” Dark shadows appeared out of the gloom. At the sound of the engine’s roar, the zombies’ moaning crescendo pierced the once silent strip mall as hundreds spilled toward them.

“Moi? You’re the one who shook not stirred a carbonated can.”

“Humph.” He sped away onto a forested road. Soon they were in pure pastoral country.

Rave hiccupped and lifted her chin up. “Thanks for the meds and drink.”

Maddox cleared his throat and gave her a fleeting glance. “I’m sorry, I acted less than gallant.”

“No need to apologize.”
Save the sorry act for when you hand me over to your pack for my execution.

“Seeing a woman cry in pain is hard for me to witness, even a pagan shifter.”

Hmm. Damn. Beneath that surly Benandanti armor, he had a heart. It would be so easy to manipulate a guy who couldn’t bear to see woman cry. Not going there. Her face heated. He must think she was a weak whimpering woman. She scoffed. “I wasn’t crying because of my stupid broken arm.”

Maddox slowed the vehicle and glanced at her. “I know. You were mourning the loss of your men. I’m sorry.” He released a deep breath. “And I know your arm hurts like bloody hell, so there is no need to act like it doesn’t hurt.”

Not knowing what his plans for her were, she nonetheless felt safe in his presence. Escape would come soon enough, especially since the last thing he wanted to do was drag around an injured shifter while fighting the Kindred. A yawn followed her chronic hiccups as the drowsiness from the pill took effect and her eyes grew heavy. “I’m going to take a nap.”

“By all means.”

Not wasting a chance to flirt she twisted a smile. “Don’t take advantage.”
Oh, please do.

Maddox flashed her a cold stare. “Benandanti do not give in to our lustful demonic wolf.”

“What…ever!” She closed her eyes. Hmm. Had he just admitted to lusting after her? With the moon waxing, how long before his wolf decided a romp with forbidden fruit was worth the sin?

Chapter 7

Maddox tried not to stare at the stunning woman. Even in less flashy attire and her emotional outburst, Rave was hotter than hell. Actually, his temptation to as she well put it,
take advantage
, would damn him. She leaned against the soft pillow, quietly sleeping. A hiccup slipped past without waking her. His smile wavered. The petite hellion was so trusting. His wolf ached to lick her and plant its head on her soft lap. As he’d carried her while escaping the zombies, her soft curves fit so well in his arms and had felt too damn good. His pious human-self warred with his demonic wolf. Lusting for her had forced him to leave for England, costing the lives of Mariah and Diego. His wolf snarled.
Had I taken Rave and denounced my faith, they would still be alive.

Maddox ignored his inner beast. What choice did he have but to eventually hand her over to his pack? Damn! The helicopter was not due for a week. It would be a full moon in days and he’d be helpless to his beast’s desires. Princess Ravenna could never be his. She was a wanted fugitive for destroying their last Bloodstone. And there was Jaeger. Lugging around an injured bird shifter would not only slow him down but endanger them both. He must leave her and soon. His betrayal toward Rave darkened his wolf’s mood. The beast within lusted, but worse, grew more protective toward the petite raven princess by the minute.

God had given the Benandanti a lustful bloodthirsty wolf to battle their enemies and to test their faith. For thousands of years the beast’s strength was harnessed to defend man against the devil’s ilk, but with a man’s rational mind to keep their religious tenants. Whenever his wolf rose to tempt him with the sweet flesh of human or shifter women, Maddox had beaten the beast back into its den. Literally, with a penance whip to his back. Never had he lost his control to the wolf, until now. Ravenna’s scent overpowered him and released the wolf from its sinful den, snapping and salivating for her. Because his biological parents had been pagan Arbor werewolves, his evil inclination was greater than the other Benandanti born into their faith. Maddox gripped the steering wheel as if that would curb his obsession for the woman he could never possess. What was he to do? He had not brought his whip. Perhaps he should stop the car, run into the woods and whip his back with a branch until his wolf submitted to God’s will. That would not bloody do. If Rave found out, she’d want an explanation. Damn.
What would I say? I want to fuck you until the new moon?

Rave winced and sighed. Her head tilted back ever so slightly. He stole a furtive glance at her pale exposed neck and a rumble of desire released his wolf. Maddox’s clawed digit reached to trace her sweet throat. His fangs extended, salivating to nibble. His pulse rocked his heart off its foundation. Bloody hell, emerging claws and fangs meant more than lust. It meant his wolf desired her as his mate. No. He’d had sex only once and now craved satisfaction. It had to be lust.

She mumbled,
‘Cashel’
and whimpered back into deep sleep.

Maddox dug his claws into his palm and drew blood.
What am I doing?
How could he think of her sexually when she had suffered from the loss of her men and had a broken wing? On this, he and his wolf agreed. Protect! Not just from zombies, tankers, his lust but,
God save my soul,
from his own pack.

His gaze flicked from Rave to the road. He would not turn her over to vindictive Lazarus. The prophet would burn her alive rather than use her as a bargaining chip.
Over my dead body!
Not that the former pater, Valeray would not have dished out retribution for her crime, but Lazarus was especially sadistic. And had broken sacred law. How long would the rest of the pack tolerate Lazarus’ cruelty and lust for human women? How long before their human followers rebelled against their loss of rights and broke into the weapons room, where rifles and silver bullets were kept? Time would tell.
For now, I must focus on stopping Jaeger from releasing those zombie chimps. If I can’t kill Rave or turn her over to my pack, I should sniff out survivors and drop her off with them.
Rave would eventually find her way back to California. Let her escape before it’s too late.

Maddox rolled down the window and flared his nostrils. Domestic animals. Wildlife. Zombies. But he detected no nearby humans hunkered down in the woods or sporadic farmhouses. Jaeger’s residual odor still lingered as he headed west. The Kindred normally used a mixture of wolfsbane, which wolf noses could not detect, and gleipnir powder to cover their scent. Of late, the Kindred didn’t bother hiding their presence. They probably figured the werewolves were fighting the zombies. This was his opportunity to sniff out and finally kill Jaeger.

Maddox drove into Northern Texas, far from his rendezvous point. To hell with meeting his helicopter in a week. What was the point? He was not turning in Ravenna. Every now and then, he caught the scent of humans. Texas had a large number of proud gun toting survivors. Many sheltered underground, while others hid deep in the woods. They might be able to hide their scent from a zombie, but not from him. Why bother convincing them to join his pack? The last thing rednecks wanted was to turn over their guns and join a cult of wolf monsters acting as papists. No way would he consider leaving Rave with them. He accelerated the vehicle out of the area until the only scent of the living dwindled to zilch.

Maddox sighed and his eyes grew heavy. His head drooped and a spike of adrenalin alerted him as he ran off the side of the road toward a lone tree. He stopped and stared out the windshield. A single little farmhouse stood on the right side of the road. He rolled down the window and sniffed the air. No zombies and no humans. The abandoned home would be a perfect rest stop.

Rave moaned and straightened as he turned and parked. She rubbed her face, no doubt feeling the effects of the strong meds. She gazed at the farmhouse and yawned. “Am I being dropped off?”

If only he could. Maddox refused to risk leaving her anywhere alone. Not with millions of zombies to hamper her route home. There were also the roving gangs, living off loot and raping women.
Why the hell do I care? She is Satan’s get, designed to be alluring to test my faith.
He snarled. “No, you are my prisoner. Remember that. I need some sleep.”

Rave winced as she adjusted her arm. “It would be nice to stretch.”

Maddox got out and then opened her door. “Can you walk?”

“Of course I can walk. I just can’t fly.”